OCTOBER 23, 1909.
one which became damaged and another start was made. By this
time the wind had risen to a degree which made even the intrepid
Paulhan see discretion as the better part of valour, and after doing
half a lap he descended.
In the hour between 2.4$ and 3.45 the wind, as recorded by a
pressure-tube, changed from 10 m.p.h. to 26 m.p.h. maximum,
the gustiness making the pen of the instrument fluctuate erratically
through a range of about 5 m.p.h.
The red flag, signifying flying in progress, continued at the mast-
head, but it was generally supposed that proceedings were over for
the day. Thousands of visitors left the course, when Latham sud-
denly decided to make an attempt in spite of the wind. His machine
had been repaired with a new skid, new wheel, and new propeller,
and was apparently in good running order. He succeeded in
flying over the line, but descended without attempting the first
turning.
Roe also made an attempt at the last moment, but without effect.
Fernandez, who made a relatively early start at noon, had failed to
return from his journey up to closing time.
No day could have been less auspicious than this was in the
morning, yet in the end it provided a thoroughly interesting set of
flights, including the setting up of some worthy British records by
Farman.
Times and Speeds. » ;;
Competitors entered for all events eligible for competition this
day, the times made during the flight standing good for each.
FARMAN.
Lap. m.p.h. m.
31-5530-84
30-7930-66
30-77
30-89
30-48
30-79
s.
464
Si* i
52*|
5*1
lLap. m.p.h.
9 3O-98
30-30
3O-5330-61
3O-9531-69
10
II
12
13
14
15
16 30-77
m.
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
s.
Sot
56
54*
53i!
451
45!
Lap. m.p.h. m. s.
17 30-74 3 52*
18 31-39 3 47*
19 3084 3
20 31-33
22 3O-7I
23 3I-64
481
49i
3
3
3 -3 46
Total distance, 47 m. 1,184 yds.
TotaHime, 1 h. 32 m. 16* s.
Slowest lap, 30-3 m.p.h.
Fastest lap, 31 " 2 m.p.h.
Distance in 1 hour = 30 miles
1,577 yards.
ROUGIER.
Speed, 28-1 m.p.h.Lap 1
", 3 - » 2879
Total distance, 5 m. 1,688 yds.
Total time, 12 m. 45J s.
Time, 4 m. 14! s.
„ 4 m. 22jJ s.
„ 4 m. 8f s.
Slowest lap, 27-25 m.p.h.
Fastest lap, 28-79 m.p.h.
Thursday, 21st.
With a wind registering 30 miles an hour, prospects of early
flight this morning were of the remotest. Local prophets fore-
casted the possibility of relative calm after two o'clock in the
afternoon, more especially if rain intervened. Obviously the only
thing to do was to sit down and wait patiently. Most of the
spectators thought it time to go home, but those who elected to stay
were entertained by free admission to the field in the vicinity of the
sheds, so that they could at least get a glimpse of the machines they
had come forth to see. In the face of the black flag and half a
gale it was, perhaps, foolish of them to have been so speculative as
to pay for admission. The public are hardly yet educated to flight
meetings, naturally, and the Committee were well advised to extend
some special privileges to those who had supported the meeting, in
spite of" the bad flying prospects, especially in view of the fact that
so few of the aviators had managed to fly up to date.
It was at least interesting for the public to have the chance of
seeing the machines on exhibition. Some of the competitors ran their
engines in honour of the occasion, and Latham made a dynamometer
test of his propeller by hitching on a rope to his machine and
anchoring it to a post of his shed. This enabled the pull or tractive
effort to be measured direct by means of a spring-balance inserted
in the rope. Only one test was made, and the reading on the
balance was 120 kilogs., or 265 lbs. Assuming that the engine
developed 50-h.p., this would be equivalent to 5-3 lbs. pull per h.p.
Two o'clock came and passed without rain, beyond just a spot or
two, but the wind, so far from abating, persisted with increased
vigour, some of the gusts forcing the gauge momentarily up to
nearly fifty miles an hour. A patient public continued to parade
the field in a forlorn hope of the calm which came not.
The Last Days.
Friday's programme included the contests for the passenger carry-
ing prize, the " Ashley " prize for British aviators, and the all-British
prize, while the competitions for the Daily Sketch prize for speed and
the Manchester Guardian Cup for the slowest circuit were continued,-
and on Saturday the proceedings were to be the same, except that
the altitude prize took the place of the speed competition. In the
" Ashley " competition the prizes were to be awarded to the British
aviators, .flying any machines, who accomplished the greatest
distances, while for the all-British prize the machine had to be
all-British, and the winner would be the one traversing the longest
distance (not less than ioo yards) without touching the ground.
Measurement of the Course.
As the result of advices from Paris, the measurement of the
course was changed from the centre line to the inner line, so that
the lap distance is now 3,496 yards. This change reduced the
speeds initially given out, and also the distances for the flights on
Monday, but all the figures given in our table are in accordance with
the corrected measurements.
DONCASTER MEETING.
The Opening Day.
FRIDAY of last week, which had been announced as the opening
day of the Doncastcr meeting, provided little excitement, for although
several machines had arrived no attempt was made to fly. All that
was done in the way of a public performance was the running of the
Cody machine along the ground and posing of the others before the
camera, and this provided the only entertainment of the afternoon.
Three Bleriot monoplanes were brought out to be photographed, and
on lining up were joined by the Windham monoplane. Then the old
standing joke about "smashing the camera " was reversed, as just at
the moment when shutters clicked, Mr. Windham was gently prepi-
pitated to the ground, the main frame of his machine snapping about
DONCASTER FLYING WEEK.—An incident. M. Roger Sommer, on his Farman biplane, flying over M. Molon's
machine, which had been smashed, during the competition for the Bradford Cup.
667